The addition of support for the full Ovi Suite and “performance improvements” are the only two items listed in the Nokia N900′s latest published firmware update, but there’s a third item skulking around that Nokia seems less willing to talk about: “easy” (albeit experimental) MeeGo dual-boot support, as promised in a recent posting on MeeGo’s official site. We suppose the capability isn’t mentioned because Nokia has said on no uncertain terms that the use of MeeGo on the N900 is an unsupported configuration — but seeing how the N900 has been a hacker’s delight from day one, we fully expect hundreds of thousands of the machines to be happily booting up the new platform within a day or three of this firmware breaking loose. Have fun, folks!

Nokia N900 firmware PR 1.3 goes live originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After some initial waffling on the subject, Microsoft has pretty steadfastly denied that any older Windows Mobile devices would be able to run Windows Phone 7 — even the seemingly capable HTC HD2. That hasn’t stopped folks from hoping and trying, however, and developer / hacker Cotulla has now produced a video that appears to show an HD2 booting and (briefly) running Windows Phone 7. While a 1:30 long boot process doesn’t exactly make for the most exciting video, it is at least a bit more convincing that the ones that cropped up in the early Windows Phone 7 days, which seemed just a bit too slick to be true. Head on past the break to see for yourself.

Continue reading HTC HD2 spotted running Windows Phone 7, for real this time?

HTC HD2 spotted running Windows Phone 7, for real this time? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is the N900 the most hacker-friendly phone ever created? All sources are pointing to “yes.” Just two short months ago, we saw one determined code monkey turn his N900 into a PS3 controller; today, we’re looking at someone who did the exact opposite. If you’ve memorized the Debian source code and aren’t afraid to dabble in the wild and murky world of N900 modding, you too can one day use a spare SIXAXIS controller in order to dictate gameplay on your Nokia handset. All the instructions you need are there in the source link, and for everyone else just looking to have a watch from the sidelines, hop on past the break and mash play.

Continue reading PlayStation 3 controller used for N900 gaming (video)

PlayStation 3 controller used for N900 gaming (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The N900′s well on its way to developing a solid reputation as a hacker’s dream, but here’s the thing: hackers need a way to charge their device. Actually, we all do, which makes a trending problem with N900s in the field particularly worrisome. It seems that the micro-USB connector’s surface mount design is causing it to become misaligned or disconnected completely, and affected users seem to be having mixed results getting the issue covered under warranty. One of the symptoms of a misaligned connector is that it’s unusually snug or difficult to connect, and thinking back to our review unit, we did have some minor issues there but didn’t really think anything of it at the time. Anyone out there run into this nasty little issue?

Nokia N900 micro-USB connectors prone to failure? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Phones at risk | Mobile Phone Reviews UK